How to Redefine Work/Life Balance to Avoid Burnout in 2022

Navigating your work and life during this pandemic is no small feat. We’re constantly amazed, energized, and inspired by our small to large business clients. Leading a business has never been easy. It’s especially challenging right now.

That’s why we’re encouraging our clients and colleagues to redefine what balance looks like in their lives:

– How much are you taking on?
– How much can you delegate?
– How much can you defer?

Finding balance isn’t static. It’s a day-to-day negotiation and a series of constant adjustments.

That daily negotiation and series of constant adjustments can be frustrating—if not overwhelming.

As many of us at INFINITI HR and Inspiring HR are small business owners ourselves, we’ve often hit our personal ceilings any number of times during this pandemic. Too much to do, too little time to do it. And while we wish things were easier, we know that wishes don’t make things easier. Thinking better and taking better actions is the best way forward.

A key ingredient in thinking better and taking better action is redefining the balance in your life:

– What’s most essential for you to focus on each day?
– What can you delegate or defer doing?

You might be thinking, “But, it’s my employees that are my source of stress! I can’t seem to get the productivity I need out of them!”

As the saying goes, we have to put our own oxygen masks on first before assisting other people with their oxygen masks. So, before we address how to help your employees to redefine balance in their lives so they can be more productive, check in with yourself first. Do you need to redefine your own balance?

As you get clearer about what is working for you and what isn’t working, you’ll be in a better position to help others.

After all, you model the behavior and set the tone for your employees.

Your employees are struggling with their own balancing acts, too.

This pandemic has been rough on everyone.

How can you engage and coach your employees through their challenging days so they show up more present and productive in their work?

As companies are experiencing “The Great Resignation” of the workforce changing jobs, careers, and even exiting the workforce, it’s an all-hands mission to retain great talent. Don’t lose a great employee because she thinks another leader at another company will tend to her professional and personal growth.

While we’re on the topic of redefining balance, let’s look at ways to leverage this approach to be more creative in your hiring and retention strategies.

– Is it time to reimagine your hiring practices? For example, can you train lower-skilled candidates for the roles you need to fill in your company?
– Do you have current employees who you can train for new skills?
– Have you taken a recent look at the language in your job postings and descriptions? Studies show that gender-neutral job postings decrease time to hire and improve diversity at the same time.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCING COMPASSION FATIGUE?

So many of our clients are experiencing “compassion fatigue,” after having spent 16+ months caring for employees who have suffered losses of all kinds during the pandemic. You care so deeply about your employees, yet all of us reach a point of burnout.

You may be experiencing compassion fatigue, too.

That may drive you to be less compassionate to the needs of your team and show less flexibility now. We would caution you not to overcorrect: for example, issue edicts about “everyone getting back in the office.” That may be the right strategy for your company, but there are other ways to increase productivity without inviting the risk of losing great employees who thrive in a remote work setting.

There are no easy answers on our journey of redefining balance and reimagining our work. At INFINITI HR and Inspiring HR, we work with small and large business leaders in multiple industries. We see similar challenges every day, but the solutions are most often tailored to our clients. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for attracting and retaining top talent and creating a thriving, highly productive, and inclusive culture.

But a key habit for all our clients is routinely checking in with themselves: redefining balance, gaining a broader perspective on how to lead and serve, and thinking more creatively about solving problems.

So, ask yourself: what does redefining balance in your life mean to you right now? What do you need more of? Less of? Is it time to learn new skills, tools and cultivate new ideas to solve your business challenges?

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Remote Work Wins, Learns, and Planning Ahead or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.